1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a lock for a motor vehicle with a locking mechanism comprising a catch and a pawl with which the catch can be locked in a closed position. The invention relates, in particular, to a lock with a pawl for engaging in a primary position (hereafter referred to as the “primary-position pawl”), and a pawl for engaging in a first position (hereafter referred to as the “first-position pawl”) and a blocking lever for engaging said primary-position pawl. Such a lock is known from DE 10 2007 003 948 A1.
2. Brief Description of the Related Art
The catch of a motor vehicle lock has a fork-shaped inlet slot into which a locking pin attached to a vehicle door or hatch enters when the vehicle door or hatch is closed. The locking pin then rotates the catch from an open position to a closed position. When the catch reaches the closed position, the locking pin can no longer leave the inlet slot of the catch. In the closed position, the pawl locks the catch such that the catch cannot be rotated back into the open position.
Frequently, a motor vehicle lock has two closed positions, which are taken up consecutively during the closing process of the catch, namely the so-called first position and the so-called primary position.
To prevent the pawl from leaving its locked position unexpectedly, a blocking lever can be provided to block such movement when the catch is locked. Such a blocking lever is necessary for the primary-position pawl of the lock described in DE 10 2007 003 948 A1 because the catch and the primary-position pawl are constructed such that the pawl assuming the primary position pushes the primary-position pawl out of the latched position.
The rotatably arranged blocking lever, known from DE 10 2007 003 948 A1, is biased by a spring. Because of this bias, when the catch is not in the primary position, the blocking lever exerts pressure on the primary-position pawl in the direction toward the catch. This pressure is responsible for ensuring that the primary-position pawl is moved into its locked position when the catch reaches the primary position. The bias then further ensures that the blocking lever is ultimately moved into the blocking position so that the vehicle door or hatch closes completely.
To unlock the lock, the blocking lever is rotated, with the help of the first-position pawl, against the biasing force until the blocking lever sets free the primary-position pawl. The primary-position pawl is then pushed by the catch from the locked position or is stricken by a driver of the first-position pawl, and in this way is moved out of the locked position. Subsequently, the catch rotates into the open position from the primary position due to a commensurate bias. The locking pin can then move out of the inlet slot, and the attached vehicle door or hatch can be pushed ajar.